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With their city contract about to expire, emergency dispatchers are calling for increases in pay and staffing levels to handle local 911 calls. “We do our job because we want to help citizens in San Jose, but a lot of us aren’t able to live in the city that we serve in,” said Scarlet Darmousseh, a...
Residents call for changes to San Jose government, elections
San Jose is asking residents to weigh in on the city’s ruling document—and some say radical changes are needed. The city’s Charter Review Commission, a 23-member panel that meets every two weeks to discuss changes to the city charter, held its first public hearing Monday on changes to the city’s governance. The two major changes being...
UPDATE: San Jose lawmakers approve Berryessa urban village, shrink flea market
Months of negotiations, rallies and proposals ended Tuesday with the San Jose City Council voting unanimously to approve a multi-million square foot development at the site of the San Jose Flea Market. Councilmembers approved the Berryessa BART Urban Village project, a plan to rezone a 61.5-acre portion of the flea market site to include up...
San Jose backs off plan to evict homeless residents
A flyer threatening to criminally prosecute nearly 200 homeless people living in Columbus Park sent many longtime residents scrambling—but the city says it was all a misunderstanding. Living in the crash zone of an airport flight path has its downsides, like constant threat of eviction—but the unhoused residents of the 40-acre plot of land in San Jose say the...
VTA to get $20 million from state after San Jose mass shooting
State lawmakers are set to give $20 million to VTA to help it recover from the deadliest shooting in Bay Area history. The funding is included in the state budget and will allow the transportation agency to provide mental health resources to employees and their families, resume light rail service and improve safety upgrades at the Guadalupe...
Silicon Valley transit agency publicizes dispute over alleged debt
Two Bay Area transit agencies disagree on whether one owes the other money—and local officials say the dispute could be handled better. “The more I read about it, this is clearly a power play,” said Eugene Bradley, founder of Silicon Valley Transit Users. “They’re going to have to work something out.” The San Mateo County...
San Jose Legends: John Sobrato’s generosity is everywhere
Editor’s Note: San Jose Legends is a new series that tells remarkable stories of the historic and legendary people who helped shape and transform our city. Silicon Valley philanthropist John Sobrato is aware that wealth has the ability to change people. For Sobrato, 82, the son of Italian immigrants who first settled in San Francisco,...
Report: 1 in 4 San Jose police officers received a complaint
San Jose’s City Council mended fences earlier this week when it restarted a group to examine police reform. But findings in a report on police misconduct suggest the city has ways to go. The Independent Police Auditor’s report examined complaints of police misconduct in 2020 and contains key statistics that concern local activists, including those involved...
Largest San Jose school district kicks cops from campuses
After nearly a yearlong debate, San Jose education leaders are booting police officers from San Jose Unified School District campuses—at least for the next school year. The school board Thursday considered a contract between the district and the San Jose Police Department, along with a resolution to limit police officers’ involvement in student discipline and...
Social Security office closures cause headaches for San Jose residents
While California lifted most of its coronavirus restrictions in June allowing for increased capacity indoors, Social Security Administration offices remain closed for walk-ins indefinitely. In March 2020, the administration closed its offices as a preventive measure to stop the spread of COVID-19. Since then, the agency doubled down its online and phone services to support most...